French yogurt

[icecreamgal]

Hello,

I'll be visiting Paris in late March for a week, and am very excited to eat fabulous yogurt. Can you please recommend the best brands and where to get them? (I'm staying in the 8th.)

Thanks!

[icecreamgal]

I should clarifiy what I like. Here in the U.S., I eat plain whole milk organic yogurt from a family creamery (Straus), so I'm used to very good stuff! (I add fresh fruit myself.) I'm definitely not looking for yogurt similar to most in the U.S...i.e. with corn syrup, loads of sugar, and fake ingredients.

[souphie]

I just tried some yogghurts here in the US that were the exact same brand I usually have in France and they were indeed much sweeter with some more gelatinous feeling.

All good cheese shops and supermarkets have plenty of very different, very excellent yoghurts, plain or flavoured. Watch Saint Malo, Savoie yoghurts for examples of good ones. Dubois in Maubert has a whole fridge of all sorts of excellent yoghurt.

[polishpierogi]

In France, the ones in the glas jars by Nestle are the best: La Laitiere.
In the U.S., La Liberte plain yogurt is phenomenal because it has fat and doesn't have splenda. It's the closest thing I have found in the US.

[schtroumpfette]

OP- If you are a fan of creamy yogurt, then you may like Yoplait's Perle de Lait. Also, Danone's Recette Cremeuse Fruits is pretty good too.

[Pammel]

My impression is that yoghurt made in France and Switzerland is made with whole milk rather than the skim or low fat almost always used in the US. This obviously results in a yoghurt that is noticeably creamier/richer.

[Cookingthebooks]

But you can buy whole milk yogurt in the US, just as you can buy nonfat yogurt in France.

I am always amazed by the VARIETY of yogurt/fromage frais at my local supermarket. Two whole refrigerated aisles dedicated to the stuff. I like the fromage frais that's whipped into a mousse (is it called Gervita?). Delicious with fresh fruit!

[ChefJune]

Funny, I never thought of France as a place to seek out yogurt.

[SueB402]

I think the yogurt in France is much better than here in the US. It is creamier. It doesn't have the gelatin-like texture that some of the yogurt here has. When in Paris I buy it at the grocery store. I think last year I bought Dannon but I am not sure.

[Theresa]

I'm not sure that France is particularly known for great yoghurt - although they do do lots of lovely fromage frais, such as the little pots of petite suisse

[PhilD]

Maybe not known for it, but it is very, very good. I find the variety and quality of most dairy (including yoghurt) to be far above many other countries. OK "Greek" yoghurt from Greece has a unique quality, but where would you say is known for yoghurt? (if France isn't).

[Theresa]

I guess it depends where each of us is from ... I live in England, and I find that we have a better selection than in France, but I don't know what you have in the States, so maybe France may be a place to seek out yoghurt if you're coming from the US!

[PhilD]

We clearly have different experiences.

My local shops (Waitrose/Sainsbury's) in Bath don't have anything like the breadth of quality that I found in France when we lived there a few years ago. We tended to shop at Bon Marche but Monoprix also had a great selection - especially if you head upmarket for the more expensive selection i.e. those in glass or ceramic pots. Great textures, and interesting flavours flavours with confiture layers at the bottom.

[Theresa]

Ah - maybe it's because I don't really go for all the sweetened ones, as I prefer plain yoghurt, Greek or other wise. They don't seem to have the selection of them that we do here in the UK - or have I just missed them?

[Dodo]

I suggest you try 'fromage blanc'. It's usually plain with different fat percentages and comes in larger containers. You can either taste it just plain, with fruit of the season, sugar, honey, etc. or make a spicy dip with it by adding salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Wonderful as a dip or with boiled potatoes.

[Theresa]

Will do - thanks for the tip! Would it work in curries and as the base of a sauce for kebabs?

[Dodo]

I wouldn't heat it. But in cold sauces, it definitely works.

[PhilD]

Head to any large supermarket, there are large Monoprixs in the 8eme, and they will have a good selection at different price points. The large specialst food halls like Bon Marche and Galleries Laffayette will probably have broader selections with more at higher price points.

The big commercial ones can be very good, as can be the ones from small specialist suppliers. Styles do vary so the best advice is to taste across the price range and select one you like - that will be your "best" brand.